Stalin Era of the Church: Francis Again Purges Roman Curia
Congregation for the Clergy
The Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Stella, 80, was among the members of the Curia closest to Francis slavishly following his ideology. Yet he was dumped in the end.
Without consulting Stella, Francis replaced him with Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik a few weeks before Stella's retirement on August 18 when he turned 80. Stella was never officially discharged, in other words, he was sacked. His crime: He tried to prevent Traditionis Custodes because he understood that it is divisive and harmful for the Church.
Francis then used a three-minutes-audience to sack Stella's secretary, Archbishop Jorge Carlos Patron Wong ("Stella's man") making him the Archbishop of the irrelevant Jalapa Archdiocese in Mexico.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The most radical purges regard the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
Francis didn't like the CDF's statement on homosex "blessings" and approved it reluctantly, Casalini knows. The CDF further "cautiously opposed" Traditionis Custodes ("to avoid divisions") and the establishment of a second Commission on [invalidly ordained] female deacons. Further, Francis accuses the CDF of not sufficiently supporting his ideology. However, the CDF is not at the service of Francis but of the Faith having the task to expunge errors from his documents.
As a vengeance, Francis is about to remove Monsignor Giacomo Morandi from the CDF transferring him to an Italian diocese (Pesaro, Florence or Reggio Emilia). Morandi is known for his equilibrium in handling difficult cases.
Seemingly, Francis also mulls removing the prefect, Cardinal Ladaria in July 2022 when his term ends. Then, Francis himself would take over his place. Until Vatican II, the Popes were Prefects of the Holy Office, but a secretary dealt with the daily business.
The current undersecretaries Monsignors Matteo Visioli and Armando Matteo, recently appointed for no particular reason, would then become secretaries.
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